LEWS Project
Title of Project
Supporting end-to-end Landslide Early Warning and Anticipatory Action in Bangladesh (LEWS)
LEWS is a program of HF
Project synopsis
This project had started in February 2024 in partnership with Caritas Bangladesh (CB) and implemented in Bandarban Sadar. With the technical assistance of CRS/CB strengthened the capacity of Local Disaster Management Committees (DMCs), trained local volunteers on vulnerability risk Mapping, disseminated early warning messages, developed risk reduction plans and facilitated community-led rehabilitation of protective infrastructure. This work included a pilot LEWS approach which focused on on-cast measurement on rainfall and engaging both community-level and national level stakeholders to develop a sustainable landslide early warning system.
Project goal
At-risk communities in Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar are resilient to Rainfall-induced Landslide.
Project objectives
Objective-1 : At-risk communities act on localized, trusted, and gender-responsive impact-based landslide early warning systems
Objective-2 : Local DRM structures provide comprehensive landslide early warning, preparedness, and response systems, and
Objective-3: Standard operating procedures (SOPs) and protocols for a local landslide early warning system (EWS) are effective and accountable and in place.
Amount of grants
BDT 1,19,40,560 (1st May 2025-Feb, 2026) and BDT 19,35,157 (Mar 2026-May 2026)
Donor(s)
Feb 2024-Feb 2025 (USAID/BHA), May 2025-Feb 2026 (CARITAS France and START NETWORK), Mar 2026-Sep 2026 (Caritas France and Caritas International)
Project period
Commencement date | Completion date |
February 2024 | September 2026 |
Project staff
Male | Female | Total |
8 | 6 | 14 (Feb, 2024- Feb, 2025) |
10 | 6 | 16 (May, 2025-Feb, 2026) |
3 | 2 | 5 (Mar,2 026- till) |
Project beneficiary
Male | Female | Total |
94 | 704 | 800 (Direct Beneficiaries) |
5210 | 6265 | 11,475 (In-direct beneficiaries) |
Project location/geographical coverage
District | Upazila | Union |
Bandarban | Bandarban Sadar | Bandarban Pourashava |
Bandarban | Bandarban Sadar | Rajbila Union |
Bandarban | Bandarban Sadar | Sualok Union |
Number of village: 12
Number of households: 969
Major Activities
- Capacity building training for Community Volunteer Group (CVG) members
- Coordination meeting among CVG, BDRCS, UDC and Union Parishad
- Land stabilization
- Simulation Exercise/Mock Drill to raise awareness on Landslide
- Household level awareness raising session and Individual HH level contingency plan
Major outputs/achievements (qualitative & quantitative)
- Construction of pathway by brick soiling for safe evacuation in 3 villages (Renikhyong Bagan para, Siddik Nogor and Kasem Para), construction of stairs using Geo-tex bags, wooden bridges in 11 villages including retention wall using nature based solution technologies.
- Reached to mass people though Simulation exercise on landslide
- Linkage build between CVG members and Union Parishad through conducting meetings
- 140 male and female CVG members are trained on rainfall measurement and sharing rainfall data in whatsapp group
- 705 male and female participants had completed 1-5 HHs level awareness session on rainfall induced landslide disaster and safe evacuation.
Lessons Learned
(a) Simulation is an easy way to reach to mass people and could deliver message effectively.
(b) Community peoples in the project areas are getting access of safe walking due to construction of land stabilization.
Problems Faced/difficulties
Due to the lack of consent among the community people, Land stabilization activity could not implement in the Fency Ghona Para of Bandarban Pourashava.
Success story/case study
Wages paid to
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loan
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installment
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had drawn for daughter’s wedding.
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Toslima Akter, 33, daughter of Mohammod Sha Alom and husband- Abdul Aleem is inhabitant of the Siddique Nagar Para, 6no. Ward, Bandarban Municipality, Bandarban Sadar Upazila. Her husband’s occupation is driver but able to drive very irregularly, when vehicle is available. Toslima Akter got marriage in the early age, now they are 6 family members, 3 sons and 1 daughter. She has shouldering with her husband to manage the family needs and very recently her daughter got marriage which they arranged by receiving loan from a local NGO. 3 sons of Toslima Akter all are studying in local schools.
The village Siddique Nagar is situated in the Southern part of the Bandarban Municipality where most of the houses are constructed in the footsteps of the hill, landslide risk is high. Depends on the landslide susceptibility mapping and assessment this village were selected for the “Supporting end-to-end Landslide Early Warning and Anticipatory Actions in Bangladesh (LEWS)” project from the very beginning. The villagers of Siddique Nagar shared experiences of landslide, landslide causalities, severely injured and wealth lost. They said it’s happened mostly in every year and some of them, survivors are alive but living by receiving a disable life.
Considering the contingency plan, community needs, prioritization of selected schemes, aiming to reach to wider numbers of project beneficiaries the Siddique Nagar has selected as model para for land stabilization activities of the LEWS project. In total 13 numbers of sub-scheme were finalized after paying of high official visits in the village. Than the scheme implementation has started following of Standard of Procedure (SoP) prepared by the project as follows; information sharing meeting at community level, beneficiary selection through comcare software, beneficiary list post in public place for 72 hours etc. before starting of construction work and ensured the following materials during the construction works as follows; banner, separate rest corner, 4 numbers of FCRM box, 3 numbers of FCRM festoon, 4 numbers of First Aid box, toilet for female beneficiaries etc.
As a model village, it’s took near about one month to complete the implementation of all 13 sub-schemes in the village. Toslima Akter got all together 22 days of working opportunity as unskilled labor under the completed land stabilization activities of LEWS project. Financially she had benefited BDT 11,000 which is a handsome amount for her family and able to refund family loan to the local NGO which they had taken during her daughter’s wedding ceremony. Beside of financial benefit she learnt a lot from the project i.e. construction of nature based solution of land stabilization, construction of Geo-Bag stair, nature based retention wall construction etc. which make her confident and established herself as skill labor in the areas, increased social dignity too. Toslima Akter said, this opportunity came to our family as a piece of bless from God into the positive change of her family status in the society and 22 daylong learning opportunity made her confident to get working opportunity even outside of the village.